coconuts & coppertone

http://coconutsandcoppertone.blogspot.com/

Treat my new baby with love…

News

I know I’ve been MIA and there are reasons for it – but who wants to hear excuses? Not I.

Annnnyways, I’ve been thinking and have decided to create a new blog dedicated to documenting and sharing bits about life and love in Maui as a former NYC fashionista. I have a lot of really great ideas and I hope the few people who have been reading this blog will enjoy this one just as much, if not more. Later this week, I’ll post the link to my new baby.

Wish I were here here:

…Patience is a virtue, no?

OhMyGod

Cesare Paciotti for Ohne Titel – Found on the amazing Jak&Jill

Can’t help but use my Rachel Zoe voice — “I diiiiiiee“

yipyap

Been too busy to give what I wear much, if any, thought — Have just been pulling on  a garment from my desk chair, slipping into sandals, and running out the door.

Have been consuming copious amounts of Coconut Iced Coffee laced with cream and sugar.

Listening to this song helps keep me (somewhat) sane.

and you be loved

 

 It is super rare that I go above 48th street. 

However, I spent all day uptown and I really quite enjoyed it.

I sat outside at this random Japenese restaurant in between appointments and felt so small and lost – but in a good way. 

Home in Brooklyn, neighborhoods are very distinct and everyone kind of knows each other. It is rare for me to walk down the sidewalk and not say hello to 3 or 4 people I know and exchange niceties.

This is why I love Brooklyn, though – you can do your own thing, but the sense of community is there for people who wish to become part of it.

Is it so wrong that I like when the old Italian men greet me and ask if everything is OK and offer to have a word or two with anyone who gives me a hard time? “Just let me know, bella… You just let me know.”

Dress – Jen’s Pirate Booty

see through

 

Operations have been moved to my couch today.

Of course, the day I choose to work from home is the day NYC decides to be so humid you can eat your way through it. Needless to say, I have two fans blowing glorious Brooklyn air on me at all times.

 

Sheer Cotton Dress – Calypso, Suede Fringe Shoes – Calvin Klein

i bow down

Is this not the most perfect thing you’ve seen today?

Her hair and bow were made for each other…

Check her blog out -here

picture this

This is how I picture the boy and I in Maui. Except we’re us and they’re Mick & Jerry. Sigh – such is life.

Anywayyysss… I made the executive decision to begin my countdown. It is the only thing that is going to get me through the next 5 weeks of working 2 jobs and missing a family Vineyard-vacation. Nothing is the world is better than New England shellfish and I’m getting sick of ignorant New Yorkers arguing otherwise.

Gosh darn script additions / extended shoots…

This photo is from -(Diet) Coke and Sympathy 

This blog is part of my morning routine alongside coffee – I literally cannot get through my day without stoping by.

maui

It’s official… finally.

An extended leave of absence, if you will. At the end of the summer the boy and I are packing up, leaving work behind, and moving to Maui for a few months. 

I plan on accomplishing everything and nothing at the same time. By this I mean - 

*Being outside for as long as the sun shines

*Eating fresh, local produce

*Reading the Iliad and Metamorphoses 

*Volunteering at a girl’s club / organization

*Sunning my hair back to baby blonde and my skin to a sun-kissed glow (not possible to do in NYC)

*Exploring the island and documenting said adventures

*Biking everywhere

Naturally, I haven’t yet begun to organize my life in preparation for such a change. I’m getting rid of 1/2 my closet… Should be interesting.

I also need to purchase serious swimwear – website recommendations? Because God knows that working 6 days a week in addition to creating the wardrobe for the pilot I was asked to work on (solo – fabulous but 9999x the amount of work), I wont have time to step foot in stores.

fire island

The commute was a bitch, but getting there was well worth it.

I always thought Fire Island was much smaller than it actually is – there are dozens of different villages and beaches and to adequately explore each one, one should commit at least a day per village. There are no cars allowed (how great is that?) and everyone rides along on vintage bicycles was baskets. The narrow streets are lined with tall reed, which I don’t think grows naturally in this area, and it makes for an overall serene effect – I’ll get pictures of them on my next day trip out.

soldiering on

Growing up, my favorite store to blow my savings at was Calypso. To this day, I continue to be obsessed with the ideal they try to sell alongside their merchandise – Floaty dresses, pastels organized by color and hue, cotton so soft it rivals Frette linens… St. Barths.

For a girl like me, you need not say more.

I snagged this tunic the other day while shopping uptown and am so happy my favorite shopping partner made me buy it. I was ambivalent at first, but haven’t see the point in bothering to take it off since.

Does anyone else have a Bonnie to their Clyde when it comes to shopping? Surprisingly enough, the men in my life make fabulous shopping partners. My brother grew up with two older (absurdly bossy) sisters and an even bossier mother – all of whom were known to pull the car over at a moments notice for some impromptu splurging. He learned from a very young age to be patient, offer simple advice, and to scout out the nearest sofa. My step-father on the hand is a hands-on kind of guy. He loves to shop (especially for himself) and knows that one cannot go it alone – 2 females at least are mandatory when exercising ones AMEX. The key is to shop at his stores first, drink as much champagne as they offer, and once he’s happy with his purchases, take him along to your stores of choice. Finally, the boy is a perfect combination of the latter. He sits patiently when it’s not his turn but knows how to treat himself on occasion.

 

Tunic – Calypso, Platforms – Cathy Jean

far east meets northeast

Don’t I look enthused? Lets try once more…

Sometimes it’s better to let the clothes do the talking and not myself when I have a sour punum.

I digress.

God my room was a mess.

I digress one last time.

This is what I wore the other night for a night of margarita drinking with my friend Calvin. 

I’ve been on the market for quite some time looking for the perfect kimono. I wanted something truly vintage (for the best silk threads) and something that was the right length (no longer than to the knee). I found it on ebay and luckily won it (hardly happens on things I really wish for), much to my delight.

Faux leather skirt – Silence & Noise, Bodysuit – AA, Boots – ASOS, Kimono – Vintage

listless

Does anyone else have days where the mere thought of rising from a mass of feathers and silken cotton, some call bed, seems a task far too daunting to take on? Well, the past two days have been such for me. I have taken to indulge myself lately seeing that my work schedule has been cut in half – a chance to breathe must not be wasted, right? Yesterday was spent much like today will be; reading, purchasing music, and doing research for an upcoming project and a potential upcoming move.

My grandmother has taught me an unfathomable amount of life lessons. Most importantly are how to treat and care for loved ones. How to properly cut a red onion. The best way to plant and nurture peonies. And that a proper bed is always made with white linens. Goose down pillows are a necessary indulgence seeing that one spends a third of their life in bed.

What I am currently reading:

What I’m currently listening to:

I’m not a product of my time, seeing that I favor music from the 70’s & 80’s above all else. I tend to listen to some songs and albums continuously for years upon years- It amazes me that I never grow sick of them.

 

rise and glimmer

This is me, pre-coffee and croissant, in one of my new slips. I literally rolled out of bed and decided to showcase it because I love the soft color of it so much. This slip is from the 40’s and the silk is surprisingly thick and strong.

I’m off to french press now…

… I’m one of those people who anyone can tell has not had her caffeine fix yet. Oy I’m scary.

portland

A few months back, the boy got a freelance job offer too good to pass up – so away to Portland he went. I had never been to Portland and was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed the city. Everything / everyone was so laid back and friendly… As someone who lives in NYC, I got thrown off balance when cashiers and waiters asked me how my day was – I’m used to people telling others to go fuck themselves before they would think twice to ask you how your day is. Though I love the craziness of New York, I forget that it has the tendency to make you as hard as a rock so it was nice to be lax and calm for a few days.

On the plane, in the park, and in bed, I read Jhumpa Lahiri’s Unaccustomed Earth and I cannot begin to say enough wonderful things about it. Lahiri literally removes your mind and heart and puts them in her stories. I finished the book on the red-eye back to JFK (appropriate, right?) and found myself sitting between two friendly enough guys. As I devoured the last few pages, I began to sob uncontrollably and I think I freaked my seat companions out. Boys always get nervous when girls cry, never mind the crazy girl drinking Jack alongside them and reading something other than Sports Illustrated. Regardless, if anyone is looking for something new to read, Lahiri’s other short story collection, Interpreter of Maladies, is fabulous as well – I cannot recommend either book  enough. 

k-town

Debating wardrobe options for a dinner party in K-Town for one of my old bosses.

This dress is actually a skirt I bought in Miami years ago. It is made of the softest cotton – 4 layers of it – it is definitely a “cloud” garment. Needless to say, trying to tie an obi belt around all its aplumm to give shape is kind of hysterical. 

Also debating coloring my hair to make it lighter. Unsure….

 

Dress – unknown, Obi Belt – Calypso, Shoes – Camilla Skovgaard

new hair, new kicks

I love oversize mens button down shirts.

I also love my old boss, Rich, for cutting my hair tonight. Going to his house is the greatest because he cuts your hair and feeds you a full on Mexican meal (heaven for a girl like me).

So thats it — Say goodbye to my overgrown, untamed, too long mane.

How could I forget?! I also love my new shoes. I saw them and instantly had a Cher Horowitz / 90’s R&B singer moment. Of course, they had to be mine.

PS – I have got to wax my floors… Minorly offensive

 

Shirt – Boyfriend’s Brioni, Shorts – Splendid, Bodysuit – AA, Shoes – DKNY

on my mind

Every week it seems that I have a new inspiration. For me, this usually means that I need to rehaul my entire wardrobe. Last week, I wanted pastels pastels pastels. My train of thought was as follows – I want to be “that girl” who stays at her family’s summer estate in Nantucket June-August. This girl rides a vintage bicycle with a basket into town to cut lilacs off the bushes that line the cobble roads, which she’ll then bring home and arrange throughout the house. She runs through the dunes she is so familiar with and knows everyone in town. She wears pastel pointell dresses and Keds and her long hair is wavy from the surf.

This week, I want slip dresses. Vintage slip dresses of either silk or cotton. I want to be “that girl” who is too caught up in her own head to be bothered to think twice about what she wears – who dresses with nonchalance yet still manages to be a vision of je ne se quoi perfection. You see this girl at the farmers market purchasing fresh produce for that evenings dinner. You also see her browsing the Chelsea galleries on a balmy afternoon or sitting at a bistro in the Village late at night drinking wine with her gentleman lover.

“When Carine Roitfeld, the editor of French Vogue, styles a fashion shoot, she does not start with the clothes. She looks first at the model and comes up with a story: Perhaps this girl has married young and taken a lover. Perhaps she married young, has taken three lovers, and is about to go to Brazil. Perhaps she lives in London and is bored to death with mad cow disease and wants desperately to eat a great, juicy piece of steak. “I do a movie in my mind,” she says. “Who is this girl?” – NYMag 2/18/08

I will never forget reading this very article and smiling like a goon because I approach fashion and how I dress myself and others in a very similar manner. A story is so crucial to make the clothes come alive. 

The one garment I am dying for…

Makes me drool.

Regardless, my story today is “that girl” whose hair has grow out of control and must take action before it takes over her life. 

litter

The girls from Litter are bitchingly fabulous; they have impeccable style and make out-of-this-world jewelry for your head parts and hooves. To top it off, they’re sweet as sugar – After introducing my boss to their wears, she was contemplating using some pieces for a shoot we were doing. Though we didn’t in the end, my communication with the girls at Litter was wonderful and I plan on attaining a few of their pieces very soon. If you haven’t already, check out their blog and their online shop for instant inspiration.

cut and see

 

I love this dress long time. I bought it years ago because I couldn’t live without being able to see this print whenever I wanted to. It reminds me of linens on the guest bed from your grandmothers beach cottage.

Needless to say, as time has passed, the length and ruffles got to me so I got the scissors on it. I obviously was planning on taking it to the crazy french seamstress down the block to fix my ravage, but I kind of like the raw edges. I reminds me of Ariel’s dress when she submerged from the ocean to meet her prince. 

I’m a mermaid in vintage flower print.

I’m going crazy.